Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV)
²⁹ “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

We should never take the revelation of God for granted. One of the great blessings we have is the revealed Word of God. We should study and meditate upon God’s Word every opportunity we have because it is nothing less than a revelation of the mind of God.

Sadly, man has always attempted to dive into things that God has not revealed. Instead of being satisfied with what Moses says belongs to us and our children (divine revelation), teachers and preachers of the Bible tend to teach things that cannot be found in God’s revelation. Whenever someone teaches something that cannot be found in scripture, he is messing around with the secret things that belong to God. He is, in effect, claiming to know the mind of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)
¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

We can only know that we are doing God’s will if we find what we are doing in the Bible. In this dispensation, the mind of God, so far as law goes, is revealed in the New Testament. If we are practicing something not found in the New Testament, and we claim that God is pleased with it, we are saying that we can read the mind of God, something only the Spirit can do.

Anything not revealed by God falls into the category of secret things that belong to Him, and we should leave them alone. Was the fruit that Adam and Eve ate an apple? That is a secret thing that belongs to God. Did Nicodemus go to Jesus at night because he was ashamed to be seen with Him? That is a secret thing that belongs to God. Was the thorn in Paul’s flesh a reference to his bad eyesight? That is a secret thing that belongs to God. It is amazing how many discussions we have about the scriptures that involve things that are not in the scriptures.

Sometimes a discussion about something not revealed can be done harmlessly. A Bible class teacher might bring something up as “food for thought,” not trying to reach any dogmatic conclusion about the subject, and emphasizing that any conclusion would be mere speculation and not God’s Word. The problem is some teachers do not respect the Word of God enough to not allow their speculation to turn into a practiced doctrine. Many false beliefs and practices have come along by preachers and teachers dabbling with the secret things of God.

What are some things that are practiced commonly today for which there is no New Testament revelation? Here is a short list: musical instruments in the church, observing the Lord’s supper on Saturday, infant baptism, women serving as pastors, using the Lord’s money for recreation and entertainment, etc. There is not a single verse in the New Testament that would justify any of these practices, yet they are common among denominational churches today.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of religious people who have not learned to leave the secret things that belong to God alone. Our aim should be to only teach, preach, and practice the things that belong to us—things that have been revealed in the Word of God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.